Virginia Department of Energy details $510,000 EV charging grant, application steps and compliance rules

A presenter for the program announced that “This round of funding makes $510,000 available” for projects that will carry through December 2027 and reminded applicants that “This round of funding will close 06/30/2026.” The presenter said the program’s goal is to expand EV charging access in underserved areas across the Commonwealth.

The presenter described eligible applicants as “for‑profit EV charging vendors, private businesses that will be deploying and installing EV charging equipment in underserved communities, as well as government‑industry partnerships,” giving a municipality partnering with a certified charging vendor as an example. Funded activities, the presenter said, cover the purchase and installation of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE).

The Department said it will prioritize projects in historically economically disadvantaged communities, environmental‑justice communities and sites designated as brownfields; those projects, the presenter said, will “be ranked higher in this scoring process.” Applicants must also document local solutions to deployment barriers (for example, permitting, utility interconnection and site‑host coordination) and report project impacts, including charging utilization and community and economic effects, after deployment.

Because the awards use federal funds, the presenter emphasized federal compliance requirements. He said projects must meet Build America Buy America (BABA) standards — describing the requirement in the presentation as 100% of steel and iron derived from the United States and 55% domestic content for manufactured components — must follow Davis‑Bacon prevailing‑wage rules for installation labor, and may require National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review unless the site is a pre‑disturbed parking area that would qualify for a waiver.

The presenter also listed state and pre‑award steps: awarded applicants must complete financial vetting and register in sam.gov and eva.virginia.gov so they can be paid. He said applicants should include a capacity analysis showing planned utility interconnection and long‑term maintenance, and must submit ongoing reporting — quarterly reports to the Department, monthly invoices due by the 15th, post‑construction case studies and final closeout reports. The presenter added that all funded sites will be listed on PlugShare and that subcontractors or sub‑recipients must have documentation of a competitive bidding process.

Gregory Brennan of Virginia Clean Cities, who described himself as “a partner with Virginia Energy on this program,” walked attendees through the Department’s grants portal. Brennan demonstrated user registration, creating a profile with valid contact information and affiliation, navigating to grant opportunities, selecting a prepopulated test grant, and opening the applicant view where organizations upload an organizational summary, project details, financials and supporting documents. He noted that required fields include start and end dates (the program runs through December 2027) and that applicants should complete the financial justification form and attach partnership documents or letters of support where applicable.

How to submit: applicants must apply through the Virginia Department of Energy grants portal (the presenter said applications are not accepted by email) and complete the final submission checkbox on the form. The presenter and Brennan reiterated the deadline of June 30, 2026.

Next steps and contacts: the presentation directed applicants to review program guidelines on the grants portal, prepare required forms and supporting documents, register in sam.gov and eva.virginia.gov as needed, and use the portal’s help and questions tab to contact program staff (named in the walkthrough as Ed or Emma of the EVCAP program).